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NALBANDIAN: HOMENETMEN ATOP MT. ARARAT
Ruppen Nalbandian
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2010/10/15/nalbandian-homenetmen-atop-mt-ararat/
Fri, Oct 15 2010
Ararat: For many, it is merely a mountain, a snow-covered peak where
Noah's Ark came to rest. But for me, as a son of the Armenian people,
this mountain takes on a special significance-it is a holy place,
a pilgrimage site, and the symbol of a dream that has long awaited
realization. At last, I can say that for me, that dream has become
a reality.
I had long dreamt of climbing Mt. Ararat, but it was as I was preparing
to be elevated to the Homenetmen rank of Ararat as a scout that I began
to initialize my plans for doing so. When I received this rank at the
Homenetmen 9th Panagoum (Jamboree) in Armenia this past summer, it
was as though I received the key to the passage to Ararat's summit. At
the time, I made a vow to all my Homenetmen brothers and sisters that
I would shortly raise the scarf and medallion of the Ararat rank,
as well as the Homenetmen flag, atop of Mt. Ararat. Many laughed
and called it an impossible act. Others said that they, too, shared
the same aspiration. But I had already made up my mind to see this
promise through, and it did not take me long to act upon my decision.
Soon after returning home from the 9th Panagoum, I left my home city
of Jerusalem once more, this time setting my sights on a different
destination: Ararat. On Aug. 25, my plane landed at the airport in
Kars. Shortly after landing, I was on my way towards Mt. Ararat. I
joined a small group of Europeans who also planned on climbing but who,
as might be expected, did not share the same purpose for doing so. The
morning of Aug. 27, our small group began to ascend the mountain,
and by nightfall, we had reached the first station at an altitude
of 3,200 meters. On the second day of the expedition, as we reached
4,000 meters, we allowed our bodies to grow accustomed to the physical
conditions at such an altitude, a process called climatization. The
third day, we continued the climb to the second station at a height of
4,200 meters, where during the daytime, the sun is ruthlessley hot,
and during the moon-lit night, temperatures drop to an unfathomable
coldness. At 1:30 a.m. the following morning, we began the final climb
to the peak of the mountain. The fourth and final day proved to be
the most challenging as the snow and ice covering the mountain made
the climb exceedingly difficult. But finally, after six long hours
of climbing, when I sank my boots into the clean, undisturbed snow
on Mt. Ararat, I knew that my dream was no longer merely a dream-it
had become a tangible reality.
Atop Mt. Ararat, I quickly unfurled the Homenetmen flag, renewed my
Homenetmen pledge, and almost instantaneously and without prompting,
my lips began to utter the words and tune of "Haratch Nahadag." These
moments I describe were moments that I lived and experienced for all
Armenians. I was not standing atop Mt. Ararat as Ruppen, but as one
member of the Armenian nation who had embarked on a pilgrimage, and
who had set out to promise to the majestic Mt. Ararat that one day,
we would all come to return her home. By elevating myself atop Mt.
Ararat, I sought to elevate all others with me.
From: A. Papazian
Ruppen Nalbandian
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2010/10/15/nalbandian-homenetmen-atop-mt-ararat/
Fri, Oct 15 2010
Ararat: For many, it is merely a mountain, a snow-covered peak where
Noah's Ark came to rest. But for me, as a son of the Armenian people,
this mountain takes on a special significance-it is a holy place,
a pilgrimage site, and the symbol of a dream that has long awaited
realization. At last, I can say that for me, that dream has become
a reality.
I had long dreamt of climbing Mt. Ararat, but it was as I was preparing
to be elevated to the Homenetmen rank of Ararat as a scout that I began
to initialize my plans for doing so. When I received this rank at the
Homenetmen 9th Panagoum (Jamboree) in Armenia this past summer, it
was as though I received the key to the passage to Ararat's summit. At
the time, I made a vow to all my Homenetmen brothers and sisters that
I would shortly raise the scarf and medallion of the Ararat rank,
as well as the Homenetmen flag, atop of Mt. Ararat. Many laughed
and called it an impossible act. Others said that they, too, shared
the same aspiration. But I had already made up my mind to see this
promise through, and it did not take me long to act upon my decision.
Soon after returning home from the 9th Panagoum, I left my home city
of Jerusalem once more, this time setting my sights on a different
destination: Ararat. On Aug. 25, my plane landed at the airport in
Kars. Shortly after landing, I was on my way towards Mt. Ararat. I
joined a small group of Europeans who also planned on climbing but who,
as might be expected, did not share the same purpose for doing so. The
morning of Aug. 27, our small group began to ascend the mountain,
and by nightfall, we had reached the first station at an altitude
of 3,200 meters. On the second day of the expedition, as we reached
4,000 meters, we allowed our bodies to grow accustomed to the physical
conditions at such an altitude, a process called climatization. The
third day, we continued the climb to the second station at a height of
4,200 meters, where during the daytime, the sun is ruthlessley hot,
and during the moon-lit night, temperatures drop to an unfathomable
coldness. At 1:30 a.m. the following morning, we began the final climb
to the peak of the mountain. The fourth and final day proved to be
the most challenging as the snow and ice covering the mountain made
the climb exceedingly difficult. But finally, after six long hours
of climbing, when I sank my boots into the clean, undisturbed snow
on Mt. Ararat, I knew that my dream was no longer merely a dream-it
had become a tangible reality.
Atop Mt. Ararat, I quickly unfurled the Homenetmen flag, renewed my
Homenetmen pledge, and almost instantaneously and without prompting,
my lips began to utter the words and tune of "Haratch Nahadag." These
moments I describe were moments that I lived and experienced for all
Armenians. I was not standing atop Mt. Ararat as Ruppen, but as one
member of the Armenian nation who had embarked on a pilgrimage, and
who had set out to promise to the majestic Mt. Ararat that one day,
we would all come to return her home. By elevating myself atop Mt.
Ararat, I sought to elevate all others with me.
From: A. Papazian